The Online Guide to Traditional
Games

Carrom

History and Information

Carrom, Carums, Karom or Karum is most popular on the Indian subcontinent
although versions of it are played right across Asia encompassing the
Middle East including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen, Central Asia from
Turkmenistan to Afghanistan and as far East as China, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Strangely, in both Scandinavia, the USA and China, versions utilising
small cues in the same way as for Billiards exist. According to Billy
Stevens of the Carrom Company, the US rules for the cue game are the same
as the ordinary game but the striker is hit with the cue instead of the
finger. (The author is trying to find the rules and any information on
the Chinese game - please email
if you have any information or leads...)

Variations abound - the Fijians, for instance, call the game Vindi Vindi
and propel the striker by placing their finger on the tip of an arrow
which then rebounds off their finger. Its origin is unknown although boards
bearing similarities have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and Greek
writings mention games which appear to be conform to the basic design.

The board is like a small square snooker table made of wood with
pockets in each corner. On the board are nine black disks, nine white
disks, one red Queen disk and one larger white Striker. Players flick
the Striker from their side of the board in an effort to get their
own colour disks into the pockets.

The author's board shown is a modern one made in
England.

On 4th March 1956, the All-India Carrom Federation came into being to
control the rules, dimensions of game components etc.

Two young men play Carrom on a home made board with bottle tops
for counters, Java, Indonesia.

Head to head in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.

The author and his friend, Mark Peet, are challenged to a game
in the mountains of the Anapurna range, Nepal. We lost.